Backbone Ridge
Aug 28, 2008
- Type of Outing
- Day hike
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Backbone Ridge
- Region: South Cascades
- Trails: Backbone Ridge (#164)
- Avg Rating: 2.50
- Be Aware Of
- Blowdowns
- Bugs
We previously explored the north end of this trail, from its intersection with the Wonderland Trail. We wanted to explore the portion from the intersection with the Stevens Canyon Road northward. There's an obvious trailhead just to the east of the point where the road cuts through Backbone Ridge, but no sign. This appears to be a new segment, built after the road interrupted the old trail. We followed it about 100 ft. up onto the ridge, where it seemed to fade out. We had to look a few feet to the west to find the old trail. This is in generally good condition, but concealed in spots by a thick layer of hemlock cones and needles. The trail surface is smooth, without the mud-holes, eroded spots and tree roots found on the Park's heavily used trails. The trail follows the ridge top, staying slightly to the west, so there was little danger of getting lost. There are almost no cut logs to help locate the trail in places where it's faint; instead, there are old logs partially worn away by decades of hikers climbing over them. We didn't see any reason that this trail couldn't be followed all the way up the ridge to the Wonderland Trail. No longer shown on maps, the trail is described in the Mountaineers' ""50 Hikes"" guidebook. We also found it on a USGS map displayed in the Ohanapecosh Visitors Center. Other parties: None. Wildlife: None, except for bugs. Flowers: None.
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